Phones explode after spooky messages

The Indian region of Assam has apparently been hit with a plague of haunted mobile phones which explode after receiving a mysterious text message.

Some 30 cases have been reported so far, with 20 people being admitted to hospital. Most are complaining of headaches and nausea, as well as the loss of their phone, obviously.

The problem, dubbed ‘Bombile’, is being taken so seriously that Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi says he’s going to launch an official investigation.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time that a phone has burst into flames. But what really makes the hairs rise on the back of the neck is that each victim claims to have received a call from a number highlighted in red immediately before the explosion.

“I got a phone call from an unknown number and I noticed on my handset that the numbers were highlighted in red colour. Soon after I received the call, there was a loud sound and I was left unconscious,” victim Mujib Ali told the Indo-Asian News Service.

“I experienced some sort of an electric shock soon after receiving the call and then later found myself in the hospital bed with some of my friends shifting me by calling the 108 emergency ambulance service.”

The same thing’s been happening in Kenya for a few weeks, although there officials were quick to dismiss fears.

Charles Njoroge, director-general of the Coomucations Commission of Kenya, says he’s established that it’s simply a hoax, and that the numbers are non-existent.

“The alleged haemorrhage due to high frequency has no technical basis whatsoever. The Commission, therefore, wishes to urge the public to ignore these messages and go about their business without any fear. The public is also advised to avoid fuelling the fear by transmitting the said messages to friends and family members,” he says in a statement.

“The Commission also wishes to call on the media, particularly FM stations, to exercise responsibility and avoid fuelling fear and despondency among Kenyans by dwelling on these rumours that have no basis whatsoever.”

Previous explosions of mobile phones in developing countries have been linked to the use of counterfeit batteries. Just a month ago, the Times of India reported on an Indian farmer who was killed by an exploding phone containing a fake.

Of course, this doesn’t explain the mysterious red messages, which are still making us pretty afraid and despondent.